Rui stood before the enormous obsidian doors of the Infernal Council chamber, her fingers tracing the intricate carvings of demons in battle.
The first time she'd walked through these doors, she'd been stripped of her title and thrown into the trials without preparation.
"Ready, Princess?" Kee Kee asked from her shoulder.
Rui straightened her spine, the weight of her newly balanced cores humming with power beneath her skin.
She wore formal robes of crimson and gold, but underneath was battle armor—a lesson she'd learned the hard way.
The doors swung open. Nine thrones arranged in a crescent awaited, each occupied by a representative from the Noble Houses.
Their masked faces turned toward her, and whispers rippled through the gallery.
Rui felt their judgment, their skepticism, and their schemes—just as before.
But this time, as she walked forward with measured steps, pink-gold energy swirled visibly around her fingertips.
She was no longer falling. She was rising.
